THE WATER WAGTAIL. 151 



which, as already stated, it pursues in the air as well as on 

 the ground or water. 



The note, which is frequently repeated, especially 

 when the bird is alarmed, is a sharp " cheep," but it occa- 

 sionally varies this note with a pleasant little modulation, 

 which is almost protracted enough to be considered a song. 



The length of the Wagtail is about seven-and-a-half 

 inches, and the plumage is of a striking character ; the 

 bill is deep black ; iris dusky black, with a narrow white 

 space over it ; forehead and side of head white ; back of 

 head deep black ; neck in front white, with a semicircular 

 band of black running up towards the bill ; nape deep 

 black ; back black, and greyish towards the middle ; wings 

 greyish-black, margined with white; tail very long and 

 rounded at the end, the middle feathers being black and 

 the outer ones white, banded with black ; legs slender, toes 

 and claws deep black. The female has a general resem- 

 blance to the male, but the markings are not so distinctly 

 defined; the crescent on the fore-part of the neck is smaller, 

 and in the summer it is tinged with grey. The breast is 

 greyish-white ; there is more grey in the back, and the 

 two middle feathers of the tail are brownish-black. 



After moulting, the plumage of both sexes undergoes an 

 alteration, and the birds appear of a more greyish colour. 

 The black feathers gradually disappear from the throat of 

 both sexes, and the dorsal plumage becomes much lighter. 

 In the young birds the bill is of a dusky tinge, with the 

 edges yellowish. Over the forehead there is a thin light 

 grey or yellowish streak. There is a dusky line on each 

 side of the throat which forms a curve in front ; the 

 breast is marked with grey and yellowish-brown, and the 

 crescent-shaped mark is not very clearly seen. After 



